KATHMANDU, April 27: The six-day Nepal-India Crafts Festival began at the Nepal Academy Hall in the capital on Friday. President Dr Ram Baran Yadav inaugurated the festival amid a program.
The South Asia Foundation (SAF) in association with Embassy of India, state government of Goa and Nepal Tourism Board is organizing the festival to foster effective and comprehensive collaboration between Nepal and India for a larger participation in the field of arts and crafts.
The festival features 19 stalls from Nepal and 35 stalls from India showcasing crafts and products which inherit the cultural and historical meaning of the two countries, a press statement distributed at the inauguration ceremony said.
Inaugurating the festival, President Yadav said the festival has created a new avenue of opportunity in craft and will help enhance new relationship between two countries.
The festival will open an opportunity for craft exchange program between Nepal and India and help strengthen cultural relationship between two countries, said Nikhil Desai, managing director of Goa Tourism Development Corporation.
Indian stalls at the festival have put on display woolen handicrafts, items made from coconut such as candle stand, wine bottle, showpieces, pen holder and showpieces made from shell, ayurvedic products, incense, soap, skin care products, bamboo products, knitted crafts, paintings and statues made of stone powder among others.
“We are participating in the event to know about Nepalis crafts and to promote our crafts because Nepal has a very rich crafts tradition,” said Krishna Karapurkar, deputy manager of Goa Handicrafts, Rural and Small Scale Industries Development Corporation.
Speaking on the occasion, India envoy to Nepal Jayant Prasad informed that the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu and Federation of Handicrafts Association of Nepal have recently signed an agreement under which 22 craftsmen from Nepal will be trained at National Institute of Design, India every year.
“The six-day festival will help for the development of tourism sector in both the countries and will be a learning platform for craftsmen from both the countries,” added Prasad.
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